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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. drill — the tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. club — for golf
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. club — a group
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. drill — a practice
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — a safe
  23. file — a document
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com